Jo Bonnier

Joakim "Jo" Bonnier (31 January 1930 – 11 June 1972) was a Swedish racing driver and team owner, who competed in Formula One from Template:F1 to Template:F1. Bonnier won the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix with BRM.

Born and raised in Stockholm, Bonnier was the son of geneticist Gert Bonnier and born into the wealthy Bonnier family, the controlling family of the eponymous Bonnier Group. Bonnier competed in Formula One for Maserati, Scuderia Centro Sud, BRM, Porsche, Rob Walker Racing and Ecurie Bonnier, winning the Template:F1GP with BRM to become the first Swedish Formula One Grand Prix winner and finishing eighth in the World Drivers' Championship that year.

Outside of Formula One, Bonnier entered 13 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from Template:24hLM to Template:24hLM, finishing runner-up in Template:24hLM alongside Graham Hill, driving the Ferrari 330P. During the latter, Bonnier died when his Lola T280 collided with traffic and left him critically injured. Until his death, Bonnier had been the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Early life

Bonnier was born in Stockholm, to the wealthy Bonnier family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His father, Gert, was a professor of genetics at Stockholm College, while many members of his extensive family were in the publishing business. He spoke six languages and, although his parents hoped that he would become a doctor, for a while it was his aspiration to enter the family publishing business. He attended Oxford University for a year, studying languages, then went to Paris, France, planning to learn about publishing.

First competition

Bonnier began competitive racing in Sweden at age 17, on an old Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He returned home to Sweden in 1951 after his Paris trip, and later took part in several rallies as the proud owner of a Simca.<ref name=Seeks>Bonnier Seeks Grand Prix Win, Los Angeles Times, 9 October 1962, Page B2.</ref>

Formula One

File:1962-08-05 Joakim Bonnier, Porsche F1-804 (sw).jpg

Bonnier at 1962 German Grand Prix driving a Porsche 804.

Bonnier entered Formula One in Template:F1, driving a Maserati. His racing career almost ended in September 1956 in a race at Imola. He debuted a 1500cc Maserati and moved up through the field following a bad start, passing Luigi Musso, and was gaining on leader Eugenio Castellotti at around two seconds per lap when he lost control after another car pulled directly into his path as they negotiated a fast corner. His Maserati struck a large rock at the edge of the road and catapulted. The other driver went underneath him as he turned over and over in the air and, while he was upside down, the crash helmet of his competitor made contact with his. Bonnier's Maserati landed on its side before skidding 75 feet and heading into a ditch, where it came to a stop against a pole. Bonnier was thrown out of the car and suffered concussion, several cracked ribs, and a broken vertebra. His car was completely written off.

His greatest achievement in Formula One was taking victory for BRM in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, when the notoriously unreliable car worked well for once (Dan Gurney and Hans Herrmann had bad crashes after brake failures). He also won the 1960 German Grand Prix with a Porsche 718, a race held for Formula Two in preparation for the rule change of 1961. Bonnier was one of the driving forces behind the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. Despite his win for BRM, Bonnier did not drive for many works teams throughout his career, with only one-offs as a replacement driver for Lotus, Brabham and Honda. After his debut in a works Maserati, he then drove for his own Joakim Bonnier Racing Team and for Mimmo Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud in the late 50s, before finding a spot in the BRM and Porsche teams.

File:Joakim Bonnier, Cooper Maserati (1966-08-05 Sp).jpg

Bonnier in Template:F1.

After Porsche quit Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1962 season, Bonnier switched to Rob Walker Racing Team, the only privateer to have scored wins in World Championship events, where he drove Coopers and Brabhams, scoring few points.

In 1966, he reformed his own team as Anglo-Suisse Racing Team (later to be renamed Ecurie Bonnier), but his interest in Formula One gradually diminished. His last full season was 1968, in which he traded his old Cooper T86 for an old McLaren. He raced occasionally in Formula One until 1971. In 1966, along with American racing drivers Phil Hill, Richie Ginther and Carroll Shelby, he was racing advisor to the 1966 motor racing epic Grand Prix starring James Garner. All the aforementioned (including Garner, who did all his own driving) were employed as drivers for the racing scenes. While filming the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix at the notorious and extremely fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Bonnier, along with more than half the field including Jackie Stewart, Bob Bondurant, Graham Hill and Denny Hulme, crashed out on the first lap of the race. According to Phil Hill, Bonnier went through an upstairs window at a house next to the track and could not take part in the later filming on the circuit.

Sports car racer

File:Bonnier, Chaparral 2D, 1966-06-03 (Sp).jpg

Bonnier in a Chaparral, during practice at the Nürburgring in 1966

Alongside Formula One, Bonnier also took part in many sports car races. He won the 1960 Targa Florio, co-driving a works Porsche 718 with Hans Herrmann, and in 1962 took a Ferrari 250 TRI entered by Count Giovanni Volpi to top honours in the 12 Hours of Sebring, sharing the car with Lucien Bianchi. In 1963 he was once again winner at the Targa Florio, with Carlo Mario Abate in another works Porsche 718.

1964 was his best year in sports car racing, where he co-drove a Ferrari P entered by Maranello Concessionaires with Graham Hill, taking a 330P to second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and to a win at Montlhéry, while a 12-hour race in Reims also gave him a first place in a 250LM. He then won the 1000km Nürburgring in a Chaparral in 1966 (with Phil Hill), his last win in a major sports car event, but still managed to snatch victories in the minor 1000 km of Barcelona at Montjuïc in 1971 (with Ronnie Peterson), and the 4 Hours of Le Mans in 1972 (with Hughes de Fierlant).

Bonnier purchased a McLaren M6B to campaign in the 1968 Can-Am series. In the first outing at the Karlskoga Sweden GP, Bonnier had the pole but an off course excursion on the first lap caused him to finish second to David Piper in a Ferrari 330P3/4. He then ran his McLaren in five of the six Can-Am races with his best finish an eighth at Las Vegas.<ref>1968 Can-Am Stardust Grand Prix, Las Vegas Template:Webarchive</ref> He was plagued with mechanical problems most of the season. However, he finished 3rd in the M6B at the Mt Fuji 200-mile race.<ref>1968 Fuji 200 World Challenge Cup Template:Webarchive</ref>

In 1970, he drove a Lola T210 to victory in the European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship, securing the drivers title at the end of the season with 48 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other ventures

Team managements

File:Joakim Bonnier (1965) by Erling Mandelmann.jpg

Joakim Bonnier in 1965

By the early seventies, he had taken to managing his team, entering several cars in World Sportscar Championship events, and taking a backseat to driving.

Safety advocacy

Bonnier had also taken a lead in the fight for track safety, which had started around that time.

Death

Bonnier was killed in a crash during the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. On the straight between Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis, his open-top Lola T280-Cosworth collided with a Ferrari Daytona driven by a Swiss amateur driver Florian Vetsch. His car was catapulted over the Armco barriers and into the trees next to the track and he was killed instantly. According to Vic Elford, who was driving a factory-entered Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 and who had stopped to assist Vetsch escape from his burning Ferrari, the last he had seen of Bonnier's Lola was that it was "spinning into the air like a helicopter".<ref name=velocity>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Template:Tooltip	Pts
1956	Officine Alfieri Maserati	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG	MON	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA Template:Small						NC	0
1957	Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG Template:Small						PES Template:Small	ITA Template:Small						NC	0
	Jo Bonnier				MON DNA	500	FRA	GBR Template:Small	GER
1958	Scuderia Centro Sud	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	ARG DNA							GER Template:Small						20th	3
	Jo Bonnier				MON Template:Small	NED Template:Small	500	BEL Template:Small		GBR Template:Small		POR Template:Small
	Giorgio Scarlatti								FRA Template:Small
	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4										ITA Template:Small	MOR Template:Small
1959	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	MON Template:Small	500	NED Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	POR Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA					8th	10
1960	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	ARG Template:Small													18th	4
		BRM P48			MON Template:Small	500	NED Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	POR Template:Small	ITA	USA Template:Small
1961	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 787	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4	MON Template:Small	NED Template:Small												15th	3
		Porsche 718				BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small
1962	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 804	Porsche 753 1.5 F8	NED Template:Small		BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	RSA					15th	3
		Porsche 718	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4		MON Template:Small
1963	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper T60	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	NED Template:Small	FRA Template:Small										11th	6
		Cooper T66						GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small	RSA Template:Small
1964	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper T66	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	MON Template:Small													15th	3
		Brabham BT11	BRM P56 1.5 V8		NED Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small
		Brabham BT7	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8							AUT Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small
1965	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Brabham BT7	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	RSA Template:Small	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	FRA Template:Small	GBR Template:Small	NED Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small				NC	0
1966	Anglo-Suisse Racing Team	Cooper T81	Maserati 9/F1 3.0 V12	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small			NED Template:Small	GER Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small					17th	1
		Brabham BT22	Climax FPF 2.8 L4			FRA Template:Small
		Brabham BT7	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8				GBR Template:Small
1967	Joakim Bonnier Racing Team	Cooper T81	Maserati 9/F1 3.0 V12	RSA Template:Small	MON	NED	BEL Template:Small	FRA	GBR Template:Small	GER Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	USA Template:Small	MEX Template:Small			15th	3
1968	Joakim Bonnier Racing Team	Cooper T81	Maserati 9/F1 3.0 V12	RSA Template:Small													22nd	3
		McLaren M5A	BRM P101 3.0 V12		ESP DNA	MON Template:Small	BEL Template:Small	NED Template:Small	FRA	GBR Template:Small	GER DNA	ITA Template:Small	CAN Template:Small	USA Template:Small
		Honda RA301	Honda RA301E 3.0 V12												MEX Template:Small
1969	Ecurie Bonnier	Lotus 63	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	RSA	ESP	MON	NED	FRA	GBR Template:Small								NC	0
		Lotus 49B								GER Template:Small	ITA	CAN	USA	MEX
1970	Ecurie Bonnier	McLaren M7C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA Template:Small	CAN	USA Template:Small	MEX	NC	0
1971	Ecurie Bonnier	McLaren M7C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	RSA Template:Small	ESP	MON	NED	FRA	GBR	GER Template:Small	AUT Template:Small	ITA Template:Small	CAN	USA Template:Small			NC	0
Template:Small {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}

Notes

• Template:Note – Bonnier was 6th at 1967 German Grand Prix but he was given points for the 5th place because F2-drivers who competed in the same race were ineligible to score points.

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
1957	Jo Bonnier	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	SYR	PAU	GLV	NAP	RMS Template:Small	CAE Template:Small
	Scuderia Centro Sud									INT Template:Small
	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4								MOD Template:Small	MOR
1958	Jo Bonnier	Maserati 250F	Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6	GLV	SYR Template:Small	AIN	INT Template:Small	CAE Template:Small
1959	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	GLV Template:Small	AIN Template:Small	INT	OUL Template:Small	SIL
1960	Owen Racing Organisation	BRM P25	BRM P25 2.5 L4	GLV Template:Small
		BRM P48			INT Template:Small	SIL	LOM Template:Small	OUL Template:Small
1961	Scuderia Colonia	Lotus 18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	LOM	GLV	PAU Template:Small		VIE Template:Small	AIN
	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 718	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4				BRX Template:Small			SYR Template:Small	NAP	LON		SOL Template:Small	KAN Template:Small	DAN	MOD Template:Small	FLG Template:Small	OUL Template:Small	LEW	VAL	RAN Template:Small	NAT Template:Small	RSA Template:Small
	UDT-Laystall Racing	Lotus 18/21	Climax FPF 1.5 L4										SIL Template:Small
1962	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 718	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4	CAP Template:Small
	Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia				BRX Template:Small	LOM Template:Small	LAV	GLV	PAU Template:Small	AIN	INT Template:Small	NAP	MAL Template:Small	CLP	RMS Template:Small
	Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 804	Porsche 753 1.5 F8													SOL Template:Small	KAN Template:Small	MED	DAN		MEX Template:Small	RAN	NAT
	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Lotus 24	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8																	OUL Template:Small
1963	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper T60	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	LOM	GLV	PAU Template:Small	IMO Template:Small			INT Template:Small	ROM	SOL Template:Small		MED Template:Small	AUT Template:Small
		Lotus 24						SYR Template:Small	AIN
		Cooper T66											KAN Template:Small			OUL Template:Small	RAN
1964	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Cooper T66	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	DMT Template:Small	NWT Template:Small	SYR Template:Small	AIN Template:Small	INT Template:Small
		Brabham BT11	BRM P56 1.5 V8						SOL Template:Small	MED	RAN
1965	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Brabham BT7	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	ROC Template:Small	SYR Template:Small	SMT Template:Small	INT Template:Small	MED Template:Small
		Lotus 25							RAN Template:Small
1966	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Lotus 25	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	RSA Template:Small
		Brabham BT11	BRM P60 2.0 V8		SYR Template:Small
	Anglo-Suisse Racing Team	Cooper T81	Maserati 9/F1 3.0 V12			INT Template:Small	OUL
1967	Joakim Bonnier Racing Team	Cooper T81	Maserati 9/F1 3.0 V12	ROC	SPR	INT Template:Small	SYR Template:Small	OUL	ESP
1968	Joakim Bonnier Racing Team	McLaren M5A	BRM P101 3.0 V12	ROC Template:Small	INT Template:Small	OUL Template:Small
1969	Ecurie Bonnier	Lotus 49B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	ROC	INT	MAD	OUL Template:Small
1971	Ecurie Bonnier	Lola T190 (F5000)	Chevrolet 5.0 V8	ARG Template:Small	ROC	QUE	SPR	INT	RIN	OUL	VIC
Template:Small {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip
1957	Template:Flagicon Officine Alfieri Maserati	Template:Flagicon Giorgio Scarlatti	Maserati 300S	S 3.0	73	DNF	DNF
1958	Template:Flagicon Francisco Godia	Template:Flagicon Francisco Godia-Sales	Maserati 300S	S 3.0	142	DNF	DNF
1959	Template:Flagicon Porsche KG	Template:Flagicon Wolfgang von Trips	Porsche 718 RSK	S 2.0	182	DNF	DNF
1960	Template:Flagicon Porsche KG	Template:Flagicon Graham Hill	Porsche 718/4 RS	S 2.0	191	DNF	DNF
1961	Template:Flagicon Porsche System Engineering	Template:Flagicon Dan Gurney	Porsche 718/4 RS Coupe	S 2.0	262	DNF	DNF
1962	Template:Flagicon Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia	Template:Flagicon Dan Gurney	Ferrari 250 TRI/61	E 3.0	30	DNF	DNF
1963	Template:Flagicon Porsche System Engineering	Template:Flagicon Tony Maggs	Porsche 718/8 GTR Coupe	P 3.0	109	DNF	DNF
1964	Template:Flagicon Maranello Concessionaires	Template:Flagicon Graham Hill	Ferrari 330P	P 5.0	344	2nd	2nd
1965	Template:Flagicon Maranello Concessionaires Ltd.	Template:Flagicon David Piper	Ferrari 365 P2	P 5.0	101	DNF	DNF
1966	Template:Flagicon Chaparral Cars Inc.	Template:Flagicon Phil Hill	Chaparral 2D-Chevrolet	P+5.0	111	DNF	DNF
1969	Template:Flagicon Scuderia Filipinetti	Template:Flagicon Masten Gregory	Lola T70 Mk.IIIB-Chevrolet	S 5.0	134	DNF	DNF
1970	Template:Flagicon Scuderia Filipinetti	Template:Flagicon Reine Wisell	Ferrari 512S	S 5.0	36	DNF	DNF
1972	Template:Flagicon Ecurie Bonnier Switzerland	Template:Flagicon Gérard Larrousse Template:Flagicon Gijs van Lennep	Lola T280-Ford Cosworth	S 3.0	213	DNF	DNF
Template:Small {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}

Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Pos	Pts
1968	Template:Flagicon Ecurie Suisse	McLaren M6B	Chevrolet	ROA Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	EDM Template:Small	LAG	RIV Template:Small	LVG Template:Small						NC	0
1969	Template:Flagicon Scuderia Filipinetti	Lola T70 Mk.3B	Chevrolet	MOS	MTR	WGL Template:Small	EDM	MOH	ROA	BRI	MCH	LAG	RIV	TWS	27th	4
1970	Template:Flagicon Ecurie Bonnier	Lola T70 Mk.3B	Chevrolet	MOS	MTR	WGL Template:Small	EDM	MOH	ROA	ATL	BRA	LAG	RIV		NC	0
Template:Small {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}